Discharge lamp arrangement for lighting purposes



F. FRUNGEL Filed Aug. 24, 1967 DISCHARGE LAMP ARRANGEMENT FOR LIGHTINGPURPOSES Sept. 15, W20

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ATTORNEY 3,529,208 DISCHARGE LAMP ARRANGEMENT FOR LIGHTING PURPOSESFrank Frungel, Herwigredder 105a, Hamburg-Rissen, Germany Filed Aug. 24,1967, Ser. No. 663,144 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 26,1966,

Int. C]. 1101;; 7/16, 61/28 U.S. Cl. 315-110 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION When using electronic dischargedevices where a multiplicity of series connected discharge lamps is fedby one common circuit it is frequently necessary to effect variations ofthe light intensity. For instance, the distance to an object to beilluminated is frequently larger from the lamps arranged in a series oflamps more to the outside than from the inside lamps which latter arecloser to the object. In case of large scale objects very high currentsare necessary in the common circuit of the lamps. In these cases it isundesirable to effect electrical switching during operation. This is inparticular the case when working outside or in case of bad weather whereit is necessary to use atmosphere proof switching gear which increasesthe cost of the device substantially. Likewise when shooting picturesunderground or in inside spaces where there is a risk of explosion or incase of pictures from the air for surveying purposes conditionsfrequently arise where switching changes effected in the electricalparameter are difficult to perform.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the presentinvention to provide for an electric discharge lamp arrangement forilluminating purposes which gives the possibility to modify the lightintensity and light distribution without effecting switch changes in theelectrical parts.

This object is met by an arrangement wherein a multiplicity of gasfilled discharge lamps connected to a common circuit is provided withmeans for varying the characteristics of the gas contents of at leastone of said lamps.

These variations may be effected by varying the gas pressure or byvarying the type of gas supplied to one of said lamps.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The drawing shows in a diagrammaticmanner a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to the drawingit will be noted that there are four series-connected discharge lamps1a, 1b, 1c and 1d. These lamps are supplied with current from a storagecondenser 2 which is recharged after each discharge from a directcurrent source 4 in conventional manner. In addition to the naturalinductivity of the circuit there are inductivities 3a and 3b providedahead of and following United States Patent Patented Sept. 15, 1970 thedischarge lamps. These inductivities if desired may be surrounded by aferrite material 30, 3d so that the inductivity is high when there is nocurrent and low when current flows through the line.

In order to start the discharge a starter 5 is provided which emits highvoltage starting impulses in the direction of the arrows 5a. Theseimpulses spontaneously bridge the four lamps 1a, 1b, 1c and 1a. Thiswill therefore directly lead to the main discharge from the storagecondenser 2 across the ionized current path of the four lamps.Associated with the starter 5 is an auxiliary direct current source 51from which the condenser 52 is charged. The condenser 52, for thestarting operation, is discharged into the primary of a small auxiliarytransformer 54. This discharge takes place through a switch 53 which maybe a spark gap, a thyratron, an electron tube or an ordinary contact.The secondary of the auxiliary condenser charges another auxiliarycondenser 55 by which within a few micro-seconds the discharge voltageof an auxiliary spark gap 56 is reached depending on the arrangement ofthe device. The voltage at the condenser 55 rises immediately prior tothe starting until it reaches the starting voltage of the auxiliaryspark gap 56. At this moment the two condensers 55 and 57 are connectedin series and thus a steep current impulse is effected at the lamps 1a1b, 1c and 1d of which the size is determined by the sum of the voltagesat the condensers 55 and 57. Thus a spontaneous and definite starting ofthe lamps takes place.

The lamps 1a to 1d are associated with reflectors 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d. Asindicated there may thus be obtained an elongated scope of lighting inthe lighting fields 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d. Thus it is possible for instanceto illuminate a row of houses in a uniform manner for the purposes of awide angle shot. In accordance with the teachings of the invention thelamps 1a and 1d are provided with a different composition of dischargegas and a different pressure for the gas from the composition andpressure used in the lamps 1b and 10. For this purpose the lamps may beconnected with their inlets or other gas ducts to adjustable pressurizedgas containers. In the embodiment shown the inlets 8b and 8c are fed bya common conduit 8 and the two inlets 8a and 8b are fed from the conduit8e.

In order to modify the gas contents of the lamps 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d acontrol device 10 is provided which is connected with the two conduits8e and 81. The control device 10 is charged from three pressure gascontainers 11, 12 and 13 of which for instance one may contain heliumgas, the other krypton and the third argon, all under high pressure. Thethree pressurized gas containers 11, 12 and 13 are provided inconventional manner with manometers 14, 15, 16 and with valves 17, 18and 19. The three valves 17, 18 and 19 control three feed ducts 21, 22and 23 connected to the control device 10. The ducts lead to pairs ofvalves 31, 41 and 32, 42 and 33, 43. At the outlet end the valves 31, 32and 33 are connected in series with the conduit 8e. In correspondingmanner there is a connection in series between the three valves 41, 42and 43 and on the other hand the duct 8 It is therefore possible toconnect the two conduits 8e and 8; by suitable operation of the valves31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43 to a source of helium gas, krypton, argon. Theamount of gas pressure in the two conduits 8e and 8] can be controlledby means of the manometers 34 and 44. To lower the gas pressure or toevacuate the lamp containers entirely, there are provided two releasevalves 35 and 45.

The gas pressure in the discharge space can for instance be varied asfollows. After first draining the gas from a previous operation, thevalves 35 and 45 are closed. If it is intended to fill the lamps 1a and1d with, for instance, high pressure helium gas and the lamps 1b and 1cwith high pressure krypton, one proceeds as follows: Only the valve 31of the series of valves 31, 32, 33, 41, 42 and 43 is opened. Thus heliumunder pressure can enter the conduit 8e from the pressurized gascontainer 11. Upon reaching the required pressure, Which is controlledby the manometer 34, the valve 31 is closed again. It is also possibleto make a correction in case the gas pressure has risen to too high alevel by opening the release valve 35. The valve 42 is then opened tofill the discharge lamps 1b and 1c with krypton under pressure. Thekrypton gas can thus enter into conduit 8) from the pressure container12. The gas pressure in this case is controlled by the manometer 44.Upon reaching of the desired pressure, the valve 42 is again closed.More precise adjustment of the pressure is possible also in this case bymeans of the release valve 45.

This type of operation permits to give the emission of the lamps 1a and1d a more reddish shading and accordingly to cause a better illuminationof certain parts of the object since reddish light has a greaterpenetration through any kind of haze. A filling of the lamps 1b and 1con the other hand with krypton will result in a more white illuminationsimilar to the use of xenon. In the same manner it is possible to useargon which can be admitted by means of valves 33 and 43 from gascontainer 13.

It is also possible to fill up all lamps with the same type of gas bysimultaneous opening of the valve pairs 31, 41 and 32, 42, and 33, 43.It is furthermore possible to vary the pressures in the two conduits 8eand 8 by manipulation of the two valves of each pair of valves. Thus avariation of the light intensity will result in spite of the fact thatall of the lamps 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d are connected to the same dischargecurrent.

Since the light intensity depends on the number of ionized gas atomspresent between two electrodes a pressure of for instance 3 atm. abs.will more or less triple the amount of light emission as compared with apressure of only one atm. abs. Thus it is possible to adapt thecharacter of a multi-lamp arrangement and the lighting effects obtainedthereby to existing conditions in a manner similar to the inflation ofan automobile tire. For practical purposes one may use in this case asmall high pressure vessel provided with a manometer in order to effectthe necessary adjustments manually. In case of a large type arrangementit is however also possible to use gas containers withelectromagnetically controlled valves and to arrange that the gaspressure and gas type can at will be varied by a remote control device.

The voltage of the condenser 2 in the arrangement shown can in additionbe varied over a broad range at the current inlet side, for instancebetween 500 volts and 5000 volts, without the necessity of effecting anykind of switch-operation at the discharge part of the device. Thus it ispossible to modify both the discharge energy for instance in a relationof 1 to 100 or the radiation scope and all this gradually and if desiredalso from the spectral side without actually effecting mechanicalchanges in the apparatus itself.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated in thedrawing. For instance any number of lamps may be used. If a multiplicityof lamps is used with one and the same object to be illuminated it maybe possible to manipulate only some of these lamps by changing the typeof gas and thus changing the spectral composition of the lighting effectsince the emissions of all lamps will have a superposed common effect.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapted it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims:

1. An arrangement for varying the lighting characteristics of gaseousdischarge lamps comprising, in combination, a plurality of gaseousdischarge lamps connected electrically in series; electrical dischargecircuit means connected across said series-connected discharge lamps; aplurality of different gas sources under pressure; a plurality ofconduit means permanently connecting each of said gas sources with eachof said lamps; and a plurality of valves in said plurality of conduitmeans enabling opening and closing of the respective conduit means forselectively regulating the flow of the different gases into each of saidlamps so that the gas composition and gas pressure within each of saidlamps may be varied during operation of the arrangement without anyinterruption of such operation by connecting and disconnecting any ofsaid different gas sources with the gaseous discharge lamps forming partof said arrangement.

2. The arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein one of said gas sourcescomprises a source of relatively light inert gas and another of saidsources comprises a source of relatively heavy inert gas.

3. The arrangement as defined in claim 1 including remote control meansconnected to said valve means for varying remotely said pressure.

4. The arrangement as defined in claim '1 including automatic controlmeans linked to said valve means for maintaining the pressure of gassupplied to different lamps at predetermined different levels, saidlamps being disposed at different locations relative to a given area soas to provide uniform light distribution over all of said area.

5. The arrangement as defined in claim 1 including discharge capacitormeans connected across the series combination of said series-connectedlamps; and a source of voltage connected in parallel with said dischargecapacitor means for charging said capacitor means with energydeliverable to said lamps.

6. The arrangement as defined in claim 5 including auxiliary start ingmeans connected across said seriesconnected lamps for initially startingthe lighting of said lamps, said discharge capacitor means dischargingsaid energy to said lamps upon starting of said lamps through saidauxiliary starting means.

7. The arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said valve meanscomprises a plurality of valves each communicating with at least one gassource and one lamp for varying the gaseous characteristics in said lampindividually.

8. The arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said gas sources areinert gases.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 253,770 2/1882 Sbillot 3 1371,595,775 8/1926 Green '3l420 X 1,851,360 3/1932 JacObSen 313-2232,252,474 8/1941 Spanner 240--37.l 2,716,717 8/ 1955 Dresser --v 31'5111 X 3,337,762 8/1967 Vincent 3l37 3,377,496 '4/l968 Friingel et al.3l3-175 JAMES W. LAWRENCE, Primary Examiner P. C. DEMEO, AssistantExaminer

